Police probe bar massacre, other killing
...victims were reportedly having birthday drink
POLICE were yesterday investigating the two shooting incidents in Kitty, Georgetown on Wednesday evening which left five persons dead and at least 10 others nursing gunshot wounds.

Eyewitnesses described the latter attack as probably the most brutal since the escalation of high-profile criminal activities, including execution-style murders, in recent times.

Police in a statement yesterday said the first incident occurred at Craig Street, Campbellville at 18:35 hrs. when Delroy Gomes, a 19-year-old businessman, was gunned down in front of his home by bandits in a burgundy-coloured motorcar.

The second incident occurred about 18:45 hrs. at a popular liquour restaurant at Pike and Lamaha Streets, Kitty where four persons were shot dead and at least 10 others, including the Director of Public Prosecution, Mr. Denis Hanomansingh, were wounded.

According to the Police, four gunmen emerged from a car and opened fire on the patrons in the shop, leaving popular national race-car driver Gavin Narine, 42; businessman Lloyd Singh, 48; Singh's sister, Joy Arjune, 38; and Fazeer Baksh, 20, dead.

Wounded were Hanomansingh, who was shot in the shoulder, and Mr. Beharry Dookie, also known as 'Nathoo', proprietor of the business place. They were both treated at a city hospital and sent home.

Among those also wounded were Mr. Deon Clarke, Assistant Commissioner of Police Kenneth Barran and Senior Superintendent Balram Persaud.

Unconfirmed reports indicated that Narine was celebrating his birthday at Nathoo's with friends shortly before 19:00 hrs. when the four gunmen sprayed the place with bullets.

Arjune of 106 Thomas Street, Kitty and a former Manager at the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T), was not a frequent visitor to the business place and had just gone there last night "to have a drink"

She was reportedly invited over to Nathoo's by her brother, Lloyd.

According to a relative of the deceased, Lloyd called his younger sister on the telephone around 18:20 hrs and invited her over to the shop for a drink. She immediately left, telling her 14-year-old daughter, Michelle, who was at home with her at the time, that she will be back in an hour's time.

It is understood that Joy's husband was in the interior and he has since been contacted by the family and informed of the tragic news. Joy also has another daughter, 16-year-old Veronique.

The siblings' grandmother, Sarah Singh, 84, said that Lloyd and Joy and her other grandchildren were all decent and law-abiding citizens.

Their mother, 67-year-old Bibi Singh, could not control her tears yesterday as she recalled to the Chronicle how wonderful and loving her kids were to her.

She noted that she had seven daughters and one son and Lloyd was her third child, while Joy was her last.

The ailing woman, who lives alone in a small and modest home at Lusignan, East Coast Demerara, said that of all her children, Lloyd was the one who checked her out regularly, almost daily, to make sure she was okay.

With tears streaming down her face, the woman recalled that on Wednesday morning Lloyd visited her and gave her money and kissed her on her cheeks.

"He does mind me because I'm a stroke case and is he looking after me and I ain't know how he and he sister can meet in this dilemna," she lamented.

It is understood that Lloyd's wife, Wanda Hercules, and their two children, Lolda, 12, and Vidal, nine, recently went to the United States to reside due to the current situation in the country.

Bibi said her son went to the U.S. about two weeks ago to be with his family, but despite them persuading him to stay with them over there, he decided to return home to look after her (Bibi) and the fishing business.

Wanda and the two kids were expected to arrive in Guyana sometime yesterday.

According to Bibi, her daughter-in-law decided to migrate because "she frighten to pass Buxton".

When the Chronicle arrived on the scene on Wednesday night, a huge crowd had already gathered at the bar.

There was blood almost everywhere inside the bar - on the tiled floor, on chairs and on the walls.

According to reports, the dead and wounded were among several persons who were socialising at the time in the bar when the gunmen made their entry, opened fire with their sub-machine and AK-47 assault rifles, and left.

The dead and wounded were subsequently transported to hospitals by ambulance and private vehicles.

As news of the shooting spread, friends and relatives of the dead and wounded and some Government officials hurriedly made their way to the bar and later to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation where the dead persons and most of the wounded were taken.

Persons identified as being on the scene during the shooting, including a barman, were visibly shaken and tight-lipped.

One man said that after the shooting he saw "bodies lying everywhere and blood all over them. It look like if was about 15 people lying down there."

The shootings at Nathoo's were preceded by the fatal shooting of Gomes by two men toting machine guns and travelling in a burgundy car.

Reports said the men pulled up at the house and asked for the young man's father who is known as `Zapper', but he was not at home.

Gomes went outside to speak with the men and according to reports, they were seen questioning and manhandling him before opening fire and escaping.

He was reportedly shot five times.

A top police officer yesterday said investigations were continuing but there were still no leads regarding Wednesday's brutal shooting spree.